Cameron, Sharleen, Gemma and Alicia play guests at a house party in Sunshine Theatre Company’s latest production. 83578 Picture: CONTRIBUTED
By LAURA WAKELY
WHEN a theatre group has been around for 40 years, you know they’re going to come up with a cracker.
Dirty Bird is the latest original play from Sunshine Theatre Company.
Penned by president Stephen Andrews, the play tells the story of what happens between a group of characters who get locked out of a house party in the suburbs.
This is Stephen’s fourth play for STC, two of which have been children’s plays.
The seven-member cast are a mix of regulars and first-timers, but each actor brings the play to life.
Despite his own experience, Stephen always finds it “unusual” watching his own work on the stage.
“It never comes out the way you wrote it, which is a good thing,” he said.
“It’s someone else’s interpretation layered on it. I want to stop it all the time and say ‘no, it’s meant to be done like this’. I enjoy the process and I hate it at the same time.”
Directed by Tania Maxwell, Stephen said the idea for the play came after a cast party, where he realised theatre brought together different personalities that wouldn’t normally come together.
“They’re normal average everyday people,” Stephen said.
“There are some people you’ll probably find, people you’ll say ‘oh I know someone just like that’.”
And, while the title is dirty, the content is clean.
Stephen said the modern comedy is a family show with very Australian humour.
“You’re not watching a play from the 1960s that’s set in England somewhere.
“The jokes are modern jokes, they’re funny, it’s Australian, and it’s new, it’s exciting and it’s great fun.”
Dirty Bird plays at Dempster Park Hall in North Sunshine from Friday July 6 to Saturday July 14.
For tickets and more information contact 0407 802 165 or sunshinecommunitytheatre@hotmail.com or visit www.sunshinecommunitytheatre.com.au
